Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)

A doctorate of philosophy, most commonly known as a PhD, is considered the highest-level of academic qualifications (but it is definitely not the end-all-be-all). It is a research-focused degree that takes 4+ years to complete. All PhD programs lead to a dissertation, which is a longer version of a master's thesis or capstone project.

A typical PhD consists of required courses and milestones you have to meet to complete the degree. However, there is a lot of room for independence - in the way you structure your overall experience. This can be a pro or a con. Besides being a student, oftentimes, you have to balance multiple roles and responsibilities such as:

  • Coursework
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Applying to Funding such as Grants
  • Academic Writing
  • Mentoring
  • Project Management (often working on multiple projects)
  • Scientific Communication (e.g., presenting research at a conference, publishing scientific articles, etc.)
  • Networking
  • lots of problem solving and troubleshooting

    • ...among others not mentioned, all on top of just being a whole human.

    Find specific resources below. Since research is a huge part of a PhD, we decided not to add the sub-section on this page as Research has it's own tab. Please visit the Research tab for related resources. Additionally, every PhD program varies by school, discpiline, and even program. Please reach out to folks in your specific area of interest for more tailored advice and resources.